With more than 600 million boards and 21 billion pictures of fashion, Pinterest is one of the most popular tools to find fashion inspiration and trends. “Pinterest is a truly international platform. When searching for something, one gets results from several different countries. It is a passport to looks from the other side of the world”, said Larkin Brown, fashion designer and researcher, to FashionUnited. But what are people actually looking for? The visual search engine has unveiled the most searched fashion terms in 11 countries, between January and July 2018.

USA

Dresses are becoming more popular in the United States, as the search term “dress” has grown 102 percent on Pinterest. American women are also ditching stilettos for more comfortable shoes: square heels are on the rise on Pinterest, having shown a 333 percent growth.

Germany

German heritage brand Birkenstock is making a comeback among its fellow countrymen: the cork sandals grew 840 percent on the platform between January and July. Germans are also particularly interested in Breton stripes: searches for this print grew 212 percent in Germany in the same period.

France

Wrap dresses are gaining popularity among French women: the search for this term on Pinterest grew 262 percent in France. French digital influencer Jeanne Damas, whose label Rouje features several styles of wrap dresses, may have contributed for the trend. Jumpsuits are trending in France too, with Pinterest seeing a growth of 58 percent for this search term among French users.

UK

Buttoned day dresses are trending among UK Pinterest users: the search for the term “buttoned dress” grew 96 percent in the UK between January and July. These British fashionistas are inspired by the looks of the royal family, especially of Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle. Headscarves are also making a comeback among the British (+157 percent).

Spain

When it comes to dresses, Spanish Pinterest users say: the longer, the better! The search tem “maxi dress” has grown 377 percent on the platform. Pinterest also points out that white pants are threatening denim in Spanish wardrobes: the search for white pants grew 392 percent.

Asian inspiration

Although French fashion continues to be a big source of inspiration for fashionistas around the world, a growing number of Pinterest users are turning their eyes to South Korea and Japan. The search for Korean street style grew 94 percent worldwide. Pinterest users are also displaying a growing interest for Japanese kimonos (+121 percent), aprons (+46 percent) and embroidery (151 percent).

“In the past, the fashion world was mostly inspired by Western culture. It is interesting to see the West starting to borrow Asian elements of style”, said Alisa Ueno, one of Japan’s top fashion influencers, to FashionUnited. “I welcome this trend, for it draws more attention to our culture and way of life”, she added.

Japan

If Westerners are searching for kimonos, what are the Japanese looking for when they browse through Pinterest? The answer is: baggy pants. According to Pinterest, Japanese women are saying goodbye to the skinny styles and embracing loose trousers. The search for this term has grown 60 percent in Japan.The Japanese are also fond of flat, comfortable sandals: the interest in this clothing item rose 645 percent on Pinterest Japan.

South Africa

South African Pinterest users are crazy about boots (+567 percent). They are also finding inspiration in a classic item from the French wardrobe: the beret. This search term has grown a staggering 850 percent in South Africa between January and July.

Mexico

Who says you have to choose between wearing a dress and a shirt? Shirt dresses are all the rage in Mexico (+500 percent). When it comes to footwear, Mexican women want to be comfortable. The search for outfits featuring sneakers has grown 76 percent among Mexican Pinterest users.

Argentina

Argentinians are all about leather jackets. According to the visual search engine, Argentinians have grown 533 percent more interested in them between January and July this year. Evening jumpsuits are also popular, with Pinterest seeing a 97 percent growth for this search term.

Brazil

Popular in the 1970’s, flared pants are making a huge comeback in Brazil (+146 percent). Corduroy has also been brought back to life, with Brazilian Pinterest users displaying 200 percent more interest in clothing pieces made of this fabric.

Australia

Finally, let’s go down under to see what fashion items Australians are looking for on Pinterest. The answer is… Leopard print! The interest in this search term grew 110 percent in Australia. White boots are riding on a wave of popularity, too: they grew 246 percent on Pinterest in the first seven months of 2018.

This article was originally written in French by Céline Vautard and published on FashionUnited France. Translated and edited by Marjorie van Elven.